Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 1989
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1989esasp.302...39k&link_type=abstract
In ESA, Physics and Mechanics of Cometary Materials p 39-45 (SEE N90-19989 12-90)
Physics
5
Comet Nuclei, Dust, Gas Mixtures, Halley'S Comet, Observation, Ratios, Structural Properties (Geology), Comets, Giotto Mission, Models, Simulation
Scientific paper
The observations of comet Halley show that the non-volatile (dust) component of the cometary nucleus has become more dominant if compared to the perception based on the icy conglomerate nucleus. The in-situ observations on the Giotto spacecraft revealed an excess of large dust particles that dominate the mass distribution. Even larger particles were derived from the attitude changes of the spacecraft bridging the gap to the cloud of particles observed by radar techniques. A dust to gas ratio larger than one was derived for comet Halley. The importance of dust for the structure of the nucleus is corroborated by the amount of particles and their lifetime in meteor streams. Fireballs show that large (meter size) objects separate from the nucleus and are stable enough to survive hundreds of orbital periods. From the various lines of evidence it is concluded that the structure of cometary nuclei is determined by the non-volatile component rather than by ice or snow. Laboratory models based on icy agglomerations do not seem realistic as nucleus analogs.
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